


the boy who got rattled

by pamyurin



Category: Code Geass
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, M/M, oregon trail au?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2019-09-17 09:38:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16972167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pamyurin/pseuds/pamyurin
Summary: lelouch and suzaku in the old west; inspired by/derivative of "the gal who got rattled" in "the ballad of buster scruggs"





	1. first trial

**Author's Note:**

> hey uh let me know how you like it, i'd love to do more fics from the other stories in that movie. this one was my fave so i wanted to write it.

It was nice, at least, for the two men to show up at a death like this. He did not want to admit it, but there was a feeling of being alone now, completely responsible for himself. He did like to manage his own affairs; Schneizel was often confrontational and rude in his dealings, and Lelouch worried for the future should he follow his brother out west—he often thought to himself that when they got there, he would simply run off, and leave his brother behind. They had already left Nunnally at home in Pennsylvania, and Lelouch had half a mind to outright return to her, but the family was in debt and Schneizel promised that it would be relieved, but only with the promise of Lelouch’s hand to a comrade of Schneizel’s stationed in Oregon. 

“He was fine just last night,” Lelouch said. He was unsure if his voice lacked emotion truly because he felt none, or if it was merely the shock. In a way, yes, it was a relief. Yet how could he feel nothing upon looking at his brother, blue in the face and gaining that waxy quality of corpses? 

“Cholera is like that,” said the younger one, sounding very sure and with a twinge of an accent. “Tends to sneak up on you.”

“Is anyone else in your party showing signs of illness?” asked the elder. 

His party merely consisted now of himself and his handywoman Sayoko. 

“No,” Lelouch said. 

“Then we’ll bury him promptly somewhere off the trail right away.”

Lelouch nodded and closed his eyes. “Do it then.”

He didn’t look towards where they buried him, but knew the two men rode a very long way on their horses and took quite a while to rejoin the caravan, and when they finally did it was approaching nighttime and Lelouch was too tired to wonder if he should ever know about the gravesite again. 

///

There was a cat; Schneizel had insisted on naming him after the King Arthur of lore, and the thing hissed and bit and was known to bound around the horses and give them a start. Lelouch had received multiple complaints from others about the cat’s whereabouts, some worrying he had fleas and would affect their rations, some worried he’d force the horses off the path. While Schneizel was alive Lelouch had avoided bringing it up, but now…

Lelouch approached the two cowboys that night after he had finished his dinner; Sayoko had gone off to tend to the oxen and the camp was whispering and alive around them. He found them engaged in a rolling, gentle sort of conversation, their voices mere murmurs. 

“Mister Kururugi,” Lelouch said. “Mister Tohdoh.” He gave a small bow. “I wanted to thank you for assisting me with my brother’s burial. I do not know how I would have handled it myself.” 

Kururugi removed his hat, waving Lelouch over with it. 

“It’s no problem, Sir,” he said. “Can we interest you in some dinner?”

“I’ve already eaten, thank you,” said Lelouch. “Truthfully, there is an issue I thought to bring up to you.”

These two were the leaders of the party, one always stationed at the front and the back of the caravan. They knew the land like professionals, and it was no secret that Tohdoh had been surveying the land and completing the journey for some time. He must have assisted with dozens. His young companion, Kururugi, was newer at the job, it seemed, but no less avid in his understanding of the west. 

“Frankly, there have been some complaints about the cat,” said Lelouch.

“Ah, your cat,” said Kururugi. “I’ve seen him around. A bit of a rascal, isn’t he?”

Lelouch nodded. “I’m not sure what to do about it, really. I only put up with him for Schneizel’s sake, but now that he’s gone…” 

“For your brother’s sake?” asked Kururugi. “I thought it was your cat.”

“No, not my cat,” said Lelouch. 

“In that case,” said Kururugi, “Maybe I can be of assistance.” He stood up and tapped the long-barreled gun on his hip. 

“I would appreciate it,” Lelouch said. His eyes lingered on the gun and he knew this was the natural way of things here on the trail. It was fine. He did not feel for the cat; it was nothing but a nuisance. It did not matter that Nunnally had liked the creature. This was how things were now. He lifted his chin to the cowboy before him. “Do as you must.” 

Kururugi walked with him back to his wagon, strolling in a long, even gait. “This whole time, I didn’t say anything to you because I thought it was your cat.”

“There’s no way we could possibly just leave him to go into the wild, could we?” Lelouch managed to ask. Might as well avoid the possibility of death, at least so he would not have to write Nunnally about it. 

“The coyotes would catch scent of it, and if we just wounded it they’d give it a long and painful death,” said Kururugi. “No reason to have it suffer. Besides, you’re its food and shelter. It’ll follow you as long as it can if we don’t kill it. No, this is the only way to do it properly.” Lelouch looked up at his face in the moonlight and could see he was telling the truth. When they got to the wagon, he went inside and found Arthur asleep on the mat. He picked up the little thing, carefully so he might not feel anything amiss in his hold, and crawled back down to the ground, where Kururugi waited. 

“Small fellow, isn’t he?” the man asked. 

“A lot of trouble in a small body,” Lelouch said. He offered the cat up to Kururugi. He took it, but the cat stirred in his arms and bit his finger immediately. Kururugi let out an angry yelp and dropped the cat to the ground. It ran off. 

“This will just take a moment,” Kururugi said, shaking his own hand as if to rid it of the bite. And then he took off after it. It was a moment before Lelouch heard the sound of one gunshot, and then another. And then one more. Kururugi was a good enough aim; even with the feline running it shouldn’t have taken so long. Lelouch stood still by his wagon for quite some time; long enough for Sayoko to come back from her chores and climb up and into her sleeping mat. Finally, as Lelouch contemplated sleeping himself, Kururugi returned. His arm and hand were covered in little dimples of scratches and bite marks. Lelouch recognized them from when he found them on Nunnally after she had first played with Arthur as a kitten. Kururugi rubbed the back of his neck, and despite the tanned skin and bit of a sunburn, Lelouch could make out the faintest bit of red rising to his cheeks.

“I missed the first time; had to make up for it with another shot.”

“I see,” Lelouch said. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it, so thank you for your help.”

“It’s no problem,” said Kururugi. “You won’t be seeing that critter any more.”

“There is one more thing I’d like to ask of you, Mister Kururugi,” Lelouch mentioned, as the man made to turn and head back to his station.

“What is it, Sir?”

“Can I ask your name?” 

Kururugi grinned, putting his hands in the pockets of his loose suede trousers. “Of course, but fair trade is the only dealing I work in. You’ll have to tell me yours, Mister vi Britannia.”

Lelouch found himself smiling quite easily back. “Of course. It’s Lelouch.” 

“Suzaku,” Suzaku said. “You let me know if there’s anything else I can aid you with, now.” 

“Oh, I will. Thank you, Sir.”

“Suzaku,” Suzaku corrected. 

“Yes, that’s right. Suzaku.”

Suzaku reached his hand out for Lelouch to shake it, and Lelouch obliged. Perhaps the trip would not be so wasteful.


	2. second trial

An issue had arisen. That morning, before getting to work, Sayoko had demanded an advance on her earnings, as an assurance that she would be paid at the end of the journey, with Schneizel now dead. Lelouch did not know enough about the ordeal to comment on her asking price—two hundred, which seemed steep, but again, what did he know about it? He agreed to give them to her, in a brief time, but his fear was that the wages—along with their other money—was in Schneizel’s knapsack, which he always kept on him. Meaning they were with the body—however far back—and tied neatly around a corpse’s waist. Lelouch did not let on about what he worried was all too true, and so Sayoko was continuing her work into the next day with a promise of her earnings soon thereafter—but even so. Lelouch could use a second opinion on the matter. And he needed to know if it was at all possible to find the wages that were, surely, left at Schneizel’s burial site. 

Again he found the two cowboys eating that evening in relative silence. He did not want to become a burden on them—but it was true that he had only a vague idea what to do about it. Schneizel had attempted to keep his affairs away from Lelouch, whether because he thought he was protecting him or because he knew Lelouch was more apt to handle such things, Lelouch didn’t know. Either way, he was now left completely without a clue as to what Schneizel had or hadn’t done during life, and that included anything about Sayoko’s wages. 

“Hello, Mister Tohdoh,” Lelouch greeted. “Mister Kururugi.” Again he bowed gently towards the little fire and pot atop it they had constructed. 

“Sir,” said Mister Tohdoh. Suzaku smiled up at him, seeming so very cheerful in the hot spring evening, his face lighting up the slowly darkening dusk around the camp. 

“I was wondering if I could speak with Mister Kururugi a minute again,” Lelouch said, inclining his head towards the other man. Tohdoh shrugged and dug his tin fork into the beans on his plate. Suzaku stood. 

Lelouch retreated with Suzaku a bit away from Tohdoh, out of earshot, at the very least. 

“Thought we exchanged names?” Suzaku asked, quite loudly anyway, and Lelouch looked about to see what other pioneers might hear them. None seemed too interested in their business. It was a rough time, surely, and one had only to worry about oneself. Too much a risk to start worrying over anyone else—not enough resources for that kind of dallying. 

“Yes, Sir,” Lelouch said, earning a furrowed brow on Suzaku’s part. “Sir. Suzaku.”

“Just Suzaku will do fine. What’s the issue?”

Just then Lelouch heard a familiar sound—the brief mewl of a cat. Not loud, of course, more like a small chirrup, but Lelouch turned his head anyway—only to see two little golden eyes peering out from the insides of a nearby wagon. 

“What—” Lelouch turned, distracted, going to the wagon to see for himself. Sure enough, the little black spot around the eye, and the ragged deep black of the tail—it had to be Arthur. The wagon itself seemed no one’s in particular, rather containing a mish mash of supplies and odds and ends, as well as a knapsack and a bucket of what appeared to be freshly caught meat. Rations, it was. Arthur had a scrap of raw meat in his jaw. 

“Suzaku,” Lelouch began, reaching towards the cat, which inclined its neck long enough to push its forehead against Lelouch’s finger, “I thought you said—”

Suzaku rushed over to get between the two of them, as if trying to block the cat Lelouch had already seen. “It’s just a little thing, after all,” Suzaku said. “Not harming anyone.” Lelouch could see the blush dotting the other man’s cheeks. 

It was surprising, to say the least. Lelouch couldn’t hide his smirk. Who knew a cowboy with enough westward trips and back to need two hands to count them could still be soft?

“You’re funny,” Lelouch couldn’t help but say, pushing Suzaku aside. He sat down on the back of the wagon and Arthur climbed into his lap, purring all the while. He wouldn’t say it aloud, but he had almost missed this little thing. 

“What was the question?” Suzaku managed. Ah, yes. The reason for his visit. And merely a coincidence that it changed the subject, Lelouch thought, with only a little mirth. 

“Right,” said Lelouch. His mouth fell into a line. “It’s quite serious, actually. You see, our workwoman, Sayoko,” he rubbed his chin briefly, his hair falling into his face as he pondered, “well. It seems she wants half her wages now, as an assurance she’ll receive the other half when we reach Oregon.”

“Well, I can see that. With the recent death.”

“Right. The issue is, I have no clue as to where the wages are.” Lelouch shook his head. “That’s incorrect. I do have one sort of clue. I believe Schneizel kept them on himself, in his knapsack—the very one he was buried wearing around his waist.”

“I see.”

“So you do. So she expects two hundred now, to finish the journey with us, and two hundred in Oregon.”

Suzaku made a startled noise. “That’s quite a price for a workwoman.”

“Is it?” Lelouch asked. “I wouldn’t know. Schneizel was… well, he was not very good with these matters of money.”

“I see.” Suzaku shook his head. “Well, there’s simply no way of finding the body now, I assure you. But I do have an idea—though it may sound odd. Give me some time to think it over. In the mean time, assure her you’ll pay her before the end of the day tomorrow. If my plan falls through, we will have only wasted a day of her work, and she can leave without much trouble to her. If it works, then that shall be the end of it.”

It sounded a bit too much in Suzazku’s hands for Lelouch’s liking—he preferred to be more knowledgeable about his own affairs than this. After all, it was one thing he had so hated about Schneizel. But something in Suzaku’s thoughtful face made him want to relax. 

“Okay,” he said. Arthur made a little mew and wandered back towards the meat. 

Suzaku cleared his throat. “Now, it is usually the routine of Tohdoh and I to make a hot beverage before we retire. Can I interest you in anything to drink?”

With the issue out of the way, Suzaku’s offer sounded more than a little inviting. It was difficult and often boring walking beside the wagon on the long day’s trip, and Lelouch could feel the sun in his cheeks, warming that skin enough to be uncomfortable as he tried to sleep at night.

“You surely can.” Suzaku smiled and took Lelouch by the elbow, leading him back to the fire, where Tohdoh still sat, his brow low and his eyes dark, his plate pushed aside. The fire dwindled. 

Suzaku took a seat and offered Lelouch to sit beside him in the grass. Tohdoh did not acknowledge them with his gaze. 

“Lelouch will share our whiskey tonight, Sir,” said Suzaku. Tohdoh made a grunt of approval and then stood.

“I leave it to you both. You have a good night, now.”

“You too, Sir,” Suzaku said. Lelouch bowed his head. 

“I did not mean to make your friend leave,” Lelouch said once he was out of sight, wandering up towards the head of the train. 

Suzaku shook his head. “He’s like that. A man of few words.” He began filling the little pot with a bit from the bottle of whiskey that he’d left at the edge of the fire. Lelouch supposed he had never had it warm, but it might add to the burn. From a small metal flask nearby, Suzaku added a little of something else, with a diluted golden tinge. “He’s been doing this since he was younger than I am, you know. Twenty years almost now. Never had a family or children or anything like that.” Suzaku sighed. “I don’t know if I want to be like that, really. I’ve been here for about five years, and already if I don’t settle down soon I’ll be a bit past my prime, you know—and he’s respectable, he is. He is really amazing. But I just don’t know if I can think of spending every night alone for the rest of my life.”

Suzaku talked with such an amiable ease, Lelouch found himself leaning in, enjoying the even keel of it. He imagined that listening to that voice and drinking the warm whiskey would be like being the first in the bath, sinking below the water, feeling it run up to the roots of his hair… His head touched Suzaku’s shoulder before he realized he’d been letting it bob to the side.

“Oh!” Suzaku jumped. “I didn’t realize. It must be a long day for you, and stressful. Please, don’t let me keep you.”

“It’s not keeping me,” Lelouch said, though his eyelids did feel a bit heavy. “I do want the drink, really.” He straightened and watched as Suzaku leaned forward and ran his spoon around the pot. “It was just your voice, is all. It’s nice.”

Suzaku did not look up but seemed to tense. 

“Here.” He plopped a little tin cup in Lelouch’s hands. He took the pot and poured out a bit of the steaming liquid, then procured a small cup for himself and did the same. Replacing the pot on the fire, Suzaku leaned back.

“What about you, Lelouch?” he asked. Lelouch took a sip and only coughed a little bit on the tingling warm feeling. It wasn’t so fierce as plain whiskey, and the aftertaste was actually quite sweet. Suzaku grinned at him. “The honey and water is supposed to make it a sort of cocktail, you know. You don’t drink much?”

“Not much,” Lelouch admitted, though his second sip was smoother. “What about me?”

“Oh—I just mean, do you miss Schneizel often? It must be hard to be of your disposition and alone now.”

“My disposition?” Lelouch asked, becoming cross. “What do you mean by that?”

Suzaku flushed. “I just meant… a bit weak. He did manage your affairs, did he not?”

To this Lelouch could not argue. And he supposed not every boy on the trail had a workwoman to do the tending. “He did.”

“That’s all. Do you miss him?”

Lelouch took another sip to put off the answering for just a moment, letting the thought roll to every corner of his brain before he opened his mouth again. “At first, I was unsure. And now, he seems to have left nothing but problems for me.” Here, Lelouch sighed. “But I think I am after all a bit relieved. I was nervous to marry the woman Schneizel said would help us abate our debt—that’s why we are on our journey. Schneizel said he had a business partner out there with a sister in need of marriage. We could send for my little sister with some of our earnings when we gained enough, and have her make the journey as well when we settled in.” Lelouch shook his head. “I suppose I doubted whether the story he was telling was real at all. He was never very good at managing business sorts of deals. He’s had several others that have fallen through already. He manages—managed—to get loans using his slippery wit and then when it came time to repay them, the business would have failed. He said this would finally repay the debt. I don’t know if I ever believed him, and he said he had secured her hand in marriage, which was doubtful, but for Nunnally’s sake, I had hope.”

It felt good to say it out loud, this little bit of weight he’d been holding inside himself since they had left Pennsylvania. 

He shrugged and lay back in the grass, setting the emptied tin cup aside. Suzaku gulped the rest of his drink down and settled down beside him.

“I guess now it just feels kind of free,” Lelouch said. “I was dreading talking to the woman—I didn’t know what to expect, or if she even wanted me. Now I don’t have to see her.”

“She would have been a crazy woman if she did not want you, I think,” said Suzaku. His voice was in earnest, though if Lelouch did not look into Suzaku’s face and see that very sure smile settled as if deep and immobile between his cheeks, he would have thought Suzaku was playing a rotten joke on him. But indeed he was serious. And this made Lelouch blush pink in the moonlight.

“ _You_ are talking like a crazy woman,” Lelouch mumbled, turning away. 

“I’m no woman,” said Suzaku. “Crazy, maybe.” And Suzaku leaned over and took Lelouch by his chin and led his mouth to his own. Lelouch was pliant and warm under his lips. It was a moment before Lelouch realized that he had risen up and brought his hand around the back of Suzaku’s head to hold him just in place.

When Suzaku sat up and began to draw away, Lelouch followed him, replacing his lips on Suzaku’s once more. He found now he could not deny the attraction he felt, beginning so far back as the start of their journey, when Suzaku had come riding by the wagon on his horse, his torso lifting up and down atop the animal with its trot. Lelouch had noted then that he was muscular and rigid and diligent all at once, as if he had been made for the mountainside. And then later, the relief of being alone, and still then seeking Suzaku out, this man who was lonely and strong and everything Lelouch had never allowed himself to be. 

And how easy it was parting his lips to let Suzaku’s tongue in, to let Suzaku tumble him back into the grass and pin his shoulder to the ground with one strong hand. And how easy it was to gasp and arch as Suzaku kissed down his neck and moved that firm hand down his chest, stroking and rubbing and oh, it was the friction that he needed, yes, but not in the right places, and Suzaku’s delightful mouth and tongue seemed to know how to elicit all the most impetuous noises from his throat, noises he was not aware he had—

“Oh, stop, please, we must— _oh_ — Suzaku, the camp—” Lelouch could not help but let out a gasp as Suzaku moved to secure his hand over his hip. 

Suzaku required no explanation. He was attentive enough to halt the moment the word “stop” left Lelouch’s lips. He withdrew and Lelouch saw his face was flushed and his gaze just a tad hazy. 

“You are something,” Suzaku said, his eyes not leaving Lelouch’s face. It was only as he spoke that Lelouch realized Suzaku was just as breathless. “Though I am sorry—please do forgive my impropriety—I just could not let you lay there looking so delicious and not have a taste myself. The whiskey and honey helped. It made me want to drink you up.”

Lelouch, for one, had never heard anyone speak so frankly, other than when his father returned from the most bawdy of brothels and began to recount what had happened there, in ribald enough language. But certainly not about another man had he heard these things, and even more certainly not about himself. 

“I must say, Suzaku, you speak as I’ve never heard anyone else address me.” 

Suzaku shrugged with a grin. “Tohdoh has always told me I need to learn not to say everything that enters my mind. But around you I find it difficult.”

Suzaku was leaning close again, this time towards Lelouch’s ear, and Lelouch could feel his hot breath as he said, “You’ve given me a bit of a loose tongue,” and then kissed the spot below his ear. It sent a delightful little chill over Lelouch.

“It’s not that I wouldn’t like to continue,” Lelouch found himself saying, “but it is rather public and your image surely will be ruined along with your business if you proceed.”

“I reckon you’re right about that. In any case, it is time to retire.” Every morning was an early morning on the trail, and Lelouch supposed it was earlier still for Suzaku. 

“Come see me again,” Suzaku said. “It’s no burden.”

“Indeed I can see that,” Lelouch could not help but steal another kiss before he rose, and it was like a battle to be won against his own will as he attempted to pull away. He’d never imagined he could find something both so natural and electric as Suzaku’s lips on his. He reasoned if he could put this feeling in a bottle he would never have a use for candles again. 

“God, I want to take you into my wagon tonight, and have at you,” Suzaku murmured as he pulled away. His voice had taken on a deeper, huskier quality that Lelouch had not heard in it before. He could not say that it did not cause some low heat to start burning within him. 

“I’m shocked at your brashness,” Lelouch said, but it was in jest, and Suzaku made a little noise of protest as Lelouch finally found it in himself to pull away once and for all. Suzaku reached out for him as he left.

“Please don’t forget to come back.”

“I couldn’t now if I tried.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you are enjoying this... not sure whether to stick with the ending of the short piece in the movie or to change it a bit and spare myself.


	3. third trial

When Lelouch awoke, the morning was already warming up and Sayoko had gone about starting the cart on the trail. She was up front steering the oxen now. Lelouch felt the rattle and rumble of the road and wondered why she had not roused him, though at least this meant she was willing to do another day’s labor without her advance. Lelouch reached up to touch his own lips. To think Suzaku had kissed him like that where everyone could and probably did see—and to think Lelouch could feel no shame in it. 

There was a little chirp and Lelouch looked over to find Arthur with all his toes tucked under his body like a loaf, perched as if he’d been watching Lelouch sleep.

“So much for not seeing you again,” Lelouch said, but could not help doing so with a smile. He realized as he attempted to figure his way out of the vehicle the purpose of having the passengers walk beside it: it was impossible to get out while it was moving, and there would be no stopping until midday. Lelouch’s stomach growled and he cursed himself for not having had the forethought to make sure he was awake at this time. That little whiskey drink Suzaku had prepared must’ve got the better of him, after all. And it wasn’t odd to think Sayoko a little upset for him having extended her work, with no word about her request other than it would perhaps be fulfilled. 

Just then, he heard the sound of hooves outside the wagon—and not just the general, thud-thud-thud-thud of the oxen, so consistent it provided little more than a hum. No, this was a gallop, and then a trot, and then there was a familiar voice outside.

“You worried me for a moment, Lelouch,” the words were not said in a shout though it was also not a hush—it was just possible to hear him over the sound of the hooves. Did Suzaku think if no one sensed any up or down in his tone that they could somehow not make out the words? So be it. Only Sayoko was in earshot anyway. Lelouch, without peering out the back of the wagon, imagined the steady up and down movement of Suzaku’s hips on the back of the horse as he kept in time with its trot.  
“Why is that?” Lelouch asked. How had he known he was inside? Arthur let out a fond meow from beside him.

“When I did not see you this morning, I thought something had happened to you overnight. Sayoko informed me that it was just rather difficult to rouse you this morning and she did not have any water to pour over you on hand. Though I would have liked to have seen that.” Lelouch heard a small laugh and he decided it was a sound he rather enjoyed. He would not mind causing that reaction in Suzaku more often. He imagined that genuine smile on the man’s face and again cursed himself, this time for depriving himself of seeing Suzaku before noon and simply hearing his voice from inside the rickety wagon instead. 

“And what about you? Aren’t you supposed to be leading this whole thing?” 

“Tohdoh is out front now. We switch every few miles to keep us from getting too passive. It’s a good system. I’m falling back. It’s my second pass by today, but I only just noticed you stirred.”

“And how did you notice that, from out there?” Lelouch asked, rubbing his eyes. It was getting warmer inside the wagon without much room for the air to drift through. He would have liked to have been outside it, certainly now. 

“You may not have noticed, but for a half mile now, I’ve been drifting over here behind you, watching as you finally woke up.”

“Not strange at all,” Lelouch remarked. “Watching someone sleep without their knowledge.”

He heard the horse’s hooves slow and then, from beyond the skin of the wagon, Suzaku’s face, as he slowed his horse to move behind it, where Lelouch could see. Lelouch did not catch himself smiling until it was plastered all over his face and he was sure he looked like quite an idiot. 

“Good morning, Lelouch,” Suzaku said. 

Rather than fall prey to that suave sort of speech, which no doubt did make Lelouch flush, he shook his head.

“I believe you have a job to be doing, Mister Kururugi.” 

“You can’t blame me for wanting a look at you when you are always looking like that, can you?” Lelouch watched Suzaku’s eyes trail over his chest and back up again. It was the hungry sort of gaze Lelouch expected only a drunken man in a compromised state to give a whore, and yet Lelouch could not help but allow his eyes their own chance to wander over Suzaku’s lean frame. He licked his lips.

“No good lecher,” Lelouch said, but at that moment Suzaku had already begun to turn his horse around and make off the other way.

“And the very same to you!” he called, turning over his shoulder to give Lelouch a wave, and then he sped up his horse and Lelouch watched it retreat through the back of the wagon, keeping his eyes on the horse until it disappeared beyond the curve in the pathway and a row of travelers too dense to see anything through.

///

Though the journey was hard and often full of sorrow for many pioneers, at its core it held the hope of a new life, and this was a hope that could not be deterred by a long journey or illness along the way.

So that night a group of men set up a row of tents and a fire to boot, and a fiddler had gotten out his fiddle and begun to play a jig, and the ladies danced about the fire with their beaus and the men swung about with friends. And those who had brought beer to drink offered to share what little they had, so long as you had your own jug. Lelouch found himself peering upon the dancers and their delight as he stayed back along the crowd that was forming. He liked to watch how the ladies managed to swing all around, and draw close to their partners out there in the evening, the glow of the fire heating their faces in such a pleasant way. Propriety was not forgotten but rather politely ignored this evening. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder and found Suzaku behind him, his eyes gentle on Lelouch and lighted by the fire. He took Lelouch’s shoulder and then dragged his hand down to lock their fingers together, and then pulled Lelouch away from the crowd, behind the tents in the opposite direction. Once there, they were able to look out on the empty camp, the wide white moon the only light upon the backs of the white wagons, looking like gleaming fish in an impossibly large, green sea. To see this portion the camp barren and quiet, the majority of it at the gathering, was rather soothing. It also served as a reminder at the size of their party: further on, another little group swelled with its own song and dance, and the tones of a woman singing could be heard. Further still, fires were lit down the line, until the eye could no longer see. Tohdoh and the rest of the leaders were keeping watch where they could, but it was well-known that Indians were not likely to attack such a large group. There were simply too many in too much of an impenetrable line. Should anyone separate significantly, that was a different story, but as it was, they were safe to have their fun. 

“I was having fun watching,” Lelouch said in a bit of a sulk, but still, his eyes raked over Suzaku and he could not help but let them linger where they would. 

“By all means, let’s go back,” Suzaku said, drawing nearer to him by his hold on Lelouch’s hand. “Shall we?”

“No!” Lelouch shook his head, clearing his throat. “No, no. That will be alright. The noise was a bit much.” 

“Was it?” Suzaku was grinning, his lips so close now to Lelouch’s face. It seemed he couldn’t help being inviting; he did it so naturally it was as if he was unaware he had the effect. The tenant of a truly attractive man, Lelouch supposed, was one who did not realize that everything he did was devastating to those around him. 

Oh, how could he resist it any more? They were already here! And Suzaku was before his eyes, and no one else’s, and that alone was a rather fantastic fact—so how could he not kiss him, reach around him and wind his hand through his hair, close so that he might not go so soon? So that they might spend more of the night together?

When he licked into Suzaku’s mouth, he thought he wanted to remember the feeling of it, the warmth, the spark it created deep in his gut, the urge to press himself so close to Suzaku that he could the very firm line of his chest… Suzaku felt so good just like this, close enough Lelouch could feel every breath in and out. 

“Lelouch,” Suzaku said, though clearly it took him some restraint to stop, as when he did he stayed close, his lips just centimeters away from touching Lelouch’s again. “I need to ask you something.”

“Hmm—yes? I’m here,” but Lelouch was attempting to lean in again, so that Suzaku had to hold his hip and keep him there in place, retracting his own head just the slightest bit out of reach.

“For one moment, please, stop,” Suzaku said. Lelouch sobered enough to heed this wish. He did not intend to make Suzaku cross, and Suzaku seemed to notice as the thought crossed his face, and he said, “I’m not upset. I need to ask you—do you want this? I mean, do you want me?”

Lelouch couldn’t stifle his laugh. Grinning, he pressed closer to Suzaku again and dragged his lips over Suzaku’s neck, along his pulse-point. “Why ask when we are already like this, Suzaku? We’ve both made our positions obvious, haven’t we?” 

Suzaku shivered. 

“I just… need to make sure.”

“Yes, Suzaku. Your answer is yes.”

Something seemed to have snapped in Suzaku as he grabbed the man by his hand and began dragging him through the grass, over the slight eases and falls of the wide hills, past cart after cart, empty or with one or two overseers, who were tired enough to pay them no mind. Those who did see them averted their gazes with a quickness that indicated they thought they were seeing something immodest indeed. Suzaku seemed not to care, but rather went quicker the further they got, until they were again upon that same little wagon with the extra supplies and the singular blanket on the floor. Suzaku, with a quickness Lelouch knew he had possessed but had not thought would be applied in this way, lifted Lelouch up from under his armpits into the wagon and quickly followed suit himself, his strong arms planted firmly as he swung up and over the back. 

“Now you are here and mine, then,” Suzaku said, his voice with a dark, heady tinge that made Lelouch’s breath quicken. “And we are all alone where no one can see.”

“So we are,” Lelouch regarded him, understanding now. “I suppose you’ll have your way with me.” He licked his lips as he eyed Suzaku. And Suzaku was on him once more, pinning Lelouch to the floor of the wagon. When he was done with Lelouch’s lips he moved to his neck and his shoulder, and when the shirt there blocked him, he went to unfasten the buttons. Lelouch could not help but gasp each time Suzaku’s fingers brushed his skin as the buttons fell loose. He sprung then for Suzaku’s own shirt (it was so tiring, doing nothing, so much of nothing for so long, and he intended to never make that mistake again, starting now) and began to shuck the layers there: first the vest, cowhide and smelling like sun-toned leather; tossed aside as Suzaku beneath it was a far more appealing scent, himself having been lathered by the sun and fresh air. Lelouch could not help but admire for a moment the body before him as he made work of the buttons on Suzaku’s shirt. The more flesh he revealed the more he wanted to touch it, and he wondered how it would feel on his lips. No reason now not to see-- the shirt, too, be gone! Lelouch fought to disentangle it from Suzaku’s shoulders until Suzaku came away laughing, doing the work for him so that Lelouch could freely pounce upon his freshly exposed chest. He let first his hands wander, stroking down until they reached the firm leather belt of his suede pants, and then, forcing Suzaku up so that he could sit and lean forward, and then, you know, why not? He straddled Suzaku’s hips and leant down to mouth along Suzaku’s chest, his lips opening for his tongue, and Suzaku gasped as Lelouch planted wet kisses along his flesh.

“Your lips are—” a gasp and a shiver, “—so soft, Lelouch, please—”

Suzaku’s fingers, as they gripped and released and gripped again, harder at his shoulders, were calloused but did not feel unpleasant. Rather, he liked the firmness of them, the promise of roughness. He peered up at Suzaku through his hair, and he let a slow smile softly climb across his lips, though it turned into a rather wicked sort of smirk as he took in how flushed Suzaku was. He had not expected Suzaku, with years of travel in an unforgiving world behind him, to lose his cool so quickly. Not that he minded.

“So, will you?” Lelouch asked. The slight tip in his voice betrayed him; he was not as composed as he made himself out to be. And he now felt his cock straining against his pants. Shifting slightly, he watched Suzaku’s head fall back as their hips ground together, and determined Suzaku was in a similar situation.

“Will I?” Suzaku replied, wonder high in his voice. His mind seemed not to be functioning any longer—so much for the suave cowboy from this morning. He tugged at Lelouch and pulled him upwards again, and Lelouch saw his eyes move as he traced the shape of Lelouch’s lips. Lelouch licked them until they were wet with a sheen of saliva. Suzaku closed his eyes and swallowed.

“Have your way with me, I mean,” Lelouch said. 

“Yes,” Suzaku said, and then again, huskier this time: “ _yes_.” He thrust his hips up and Lelouch groaned and planted his hands palms-open on Suzaku’s chest as they thrust against each other, there on the floor of the wagon. 

“Ahh… yes, Suza—ku—!” 

And then Suzaku was reaching into Lelouch’s pants and wrapping his hand around his cock, (a choked off cry from Lelouch, buried in the back of his wrist) already wet at the tip with precome. Suzaku continued to grind his hips up and against Lelouch as he tugged his cock forward, and it seemed just too much for Lelouch before he was crying out and coming in a mess over Suzaku’s stomach and hand. Suzaku let Lelouch collapse forward on top of him, but Lelouch had made him such a pretty little offer, to have his way with him—it couldn’t be helped, now, could it? 

“Here, Lelouch, do this for me,” Suzaku said, guiding Lelouch to loosen his trousers and yank them fully away. He turned Lelouch (who was pliant and clearly spent, though neither quality seemed to affect his compliancy towards Suzaku’s orders) over onto his side, and, “Just like this.” Suzaku freed himself from his pants and pushed his cock between Lelouch’s legs, saying, “Close your legs tight, please,” and Lelouch did so, turning his head to peer over his shoulder—but Suzaku was not focused on his face, but rather watching himself disappear and reappear between Lelouch’s legs as he moved in and out, the milky skin of Lelouch’s thighs swallowing him in such a pretty fashion, Suzaku thought maybe he had traveled so far and so long because he was just waiting to see this, and the thought that it would be over and he would be able to have Lelouch like this again, and differently, too, if Lelouch so allowed—pushed him over the edge and he came with Lelouch’s name on his tongue. 

Lelouch kept still for a moment, while Suzaku kept his head buried between Lelouch’s shoulder blades behind him, but he felt the warmth of Suzaku’s semen cooling on his thighs. When a few minutes had passed, and Suzaku had opened his eyes and his breathing had slowed, Lelouch turned over onto his back so that he could lie flat on the rug. He felt more than saw Suzaku’s eyes on him.

“You’re beautiful, you know,” Suzaku said. 

“Stop; you’re a fool,” Lelouch mumbled, covering his face with his arm and turning away.

“I’m serious,” Suzaku said, pulling the arm down so he could get a look into Lelouch’s eyes. “I would not say such words in jest.”

“I didn’t take you for the type that would,” Lelouch agreed. “But it doesn’t save you from your foolishness. I am a penniless man without means to pay his only servant, and will soon have to retreat from the trail. I am without hopes east or west. May my family descend into poverty together, and you be saved from the whole mess.” 

Such thoughts were not uncommon for Lelouch, but he did not usually find anyone to listen to them aloud. He regretted letting Suzaku hear his despair. 

“Lelouch,” Suzaku said. The note of seriousness in his voice caught Lelouch off guard. “That is what I was going to say. I wish for us to take up together in Oregon.”  


“You are brash, aren’t you?” Lelouch asked. He did not know whether the man could possibly be kidding with such an earnest look in his eye. 

Suzaku did not let it faze him. “I know land well enough, and a settler can claim 160 acres. We will write up a statement of debt to Sayoko and send her back to Pennsylvania with the go-backers. We can sell the parts of your wagon for extra money to get us started. Once we have attained an amount equal to the amount your brother promised her, we can send it to her by mail.”

“And what of the woman there Schneizel has set up for me?”

“You said yourself you were unsure of her existence.” 

And he had also made it clear he did not look forward to meeting her, whether she be real or imaginary. Suzaku’s offer sounded good and well; fair, even, all things considered: they would be working side by side at an earnest living. And Lelouch didn’t miss the fact that they were to cohabitate. It was a lawless land here, and surely two men taking up together would be the furthest from townsfolk’s minds, when the west was wild as any unexplored territory, rife with violence and murder and no shortage of disease. If he had a chance at continuing with Suzaku in any way, this was certainly it. 

“Won’t you miss your journeys? The traveling?”

“I have, for a while now, wondered if I shouldn’t find myself a wife to settle with. As I said to you before, while this life may be the only one for Tohdoh, I had my doubts if it was for me. It becomes awful lonely at times.”

And Lelouch was sure that the loveless marriage he himself awaited in Oregon would be no less lonely, should he choose that path for himself. 

But there was still Nunnally to think about, back in Pennsylvania. He had left with the intent to send for her, and he was unsure if that would still be the case should he take up with Suzaku and begin his career farming. He especially did not know if it was safe for her, or if they’d even be able to make it; he knew nothing of farming in Oregon: the seasonal shifts, whether the crops could survive. There were simply too many variables to determine the best option. But his time ran short; Sayoko would need her money or the direction to turn back. 

“Give me a day to think it over,” Lelouch said finally. “I’ll think of something to tell Sayoko, I will… I just need to think it over. Please.”

“Oh.” Though Suzaku’s face betrayed no sign of his hurt, his tone certainly did, as it fell off at the end. He sat up and turned away from Lelouch, going to find his blouse and vest. 

“Suzaku,” Lelouch said. He found his own voice relatively harsh—harsher than he had intended. Suzaku turned. “It’s not because I do not want to. I just must think of my family; my sister…”

Suzaku cleared his throat. “Yes, of course.” Suzaku eyed him up and down, taking him in a last time, Lelouch supposed, until they next should meet. And then he was leaning back into the wagon, kissing Lelouch, and then moving down to his neck to take a deep breath in. “You smell like grass,” Suzaku said. 

“Fabulous,” Lelouch intoned, playfully shoving him. “I smell like the stuff all around us. How fitting.” He did not say that Suzaku smelled of sunshine. He could not bring himself to be so frivolous as that. 

“I like the smell,” Suzaku said, again breathing in. “It smells like home, somehow.”

“Wishful thinking on your part, hm?” But it was said with a smile, and Lelouch could not be cruel to Suzaku, not even for a moment. “I will get back to you soon, Suzaku, I swear it. This will not be the last you see of me.”

Another kiss to the lips from Suzaku, and he was grinning as well, that impenetrable grin that made his face so very open and appealing. Lelouch thought if he got to see this smile every day, he might die happy—a thought that had never occurred to him before. He shook it free from his mind then; no need to ponder on things darker than the day called for. 

“Must you go somewhere else?” Lelouch asked, as Suzaku made to leap down from the carriage. 

“Have to catch up with Tohdoh. I can’t abandon my post much longer.” He must have seen Lelouch’s downtrodden look as he continued, “You are welcome to stay as long as you wish. Though I do ask you cover yourself up, perhaps.”

“You weren’t so concerned with it earlier,” Lelouch pouted, but went about finding his things. By the time he looked up again, Suzaku had gone, retreated to the place that he needed to be. And Lelouch was alone to find a lie for Sayoko.


	4. decision

The day could not successfully pass without Lelouch yearning to see Suzaku, and sure enough during a midday stop—the hottest part of the day was painful to drive through for some of the oxen, and the days had been nearly unbearable as they passed through the hotter parts of the western desert—the two sought each other. It was Suzaku, rather, who came riding up on his horse (Lancelot, the thing was named, a suitable partner for Arthur) and found Lelouch playing with the cat near his wagon. 

The subject of their previous encounter was not breached. Rather, Lelouch stood and stepped towards Suzaku, at first as if they might embrace, but, knowing that it was too public just here for that, Lelouch stuck his hand out for a shake.

Suzaku gave him a quizzical look, but obliged. “Good morning.”

“Afternoon, rather,” Lelouch said, and his hand lingered there, in Suzaku’s palm, between them, as Lelouch ran his thumb over the back of Suzaku’s hand. 

“Afternoon, then. May I join you?” The two sat down beside each other in the grass, the sun hot and wild in the middle of the sky. Lelouch’s cheeks had taken on their pinkish color from the burn, and Suzaku wondered if someone did not have some remedy for that. Though the stain was not all that unappealing, as even that was somehow lovely and pristine, like a doll, on Lelouch’s otherwise porcelain-skinned face. 

It was on Suzaku’s mind, clearly, Lelouch could tell, as the man’s eyes lingered too long in certain places: Lelouch’s mouth—oh, it was fun to tease him, though, and Lelouch licked his lips when he noticed it, causing color to rise in Suzaku’s face—his chest, traveling down his body. In fact, it seemed Suzaku could not take his eyes off Lelouch at all. 

Still. There was time for teasing and time for more serious talks. Something was simple about being near Suzaku, making Lelouch feel as though the things he had not said aloud before could suddenly spill forth. He could not help it. 

“My sister has been my only joy since childhood,” Lelouch said, not looking up but straight ahead, at the line of wagons that stretched into the distance. “Thinking of coming on this journey, and leaving her… it was not easy. But I thought it even worse to abandon her and my mother to poverty, and that I must give us all this chance, though I did dread Schneizel’s company…” 

Suzaku looked at him in earnest concern. It was not a look Lelouch was used to, having someone take him so seriously, so focused on his face as he spoke. It felt different. Good. Almost powerful, if he was being honest. 

“What was your sister’s name, if I might ask?” Suzaku said.

“Nunnally,” said Lelouch. “Her name is Nunnally.” 

Suzaku tried the name out himself. “Nunnally. It sounds a bit like a game the tongue is playing in the mouth.” He looked both delighted and confounded at the discovery.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow at him. What a strange man—strange, and very novel. The most refreshing presence, besides Nunnally’s, Lelouch dared think he had ever encountered. 

“I suppose it does,” Lelouch agreed, allowing himself a smile. “As I was saying… having met you, this does not seem so awash. Almost like the decision had been made for me before it was even broached in my presence. Yet, some part of it is missing, some vital part. I think it is Nunnally. This all does not seem real if she is not here.”

Suzaku looked very serious all of a sudden, his thoughtfulness having gone a bit dark. “It will be our first line of business, then. To bring her here, unharmed. Tohdoh knows the best men in the business. We will ensure her safety and bring her to us promptly, as soon as we arrive in Oregon.”

While his dark seriousness caused a warm shiver to pass over Lelouch, he could not dismiss Suzaku’s foolishness. “Where do you suppose we’ll get the money for that, then? Did you forget I am the poorest pioneer in the caravan?”

“I will make it so.” Suzaku was scooting forward then, to capture Lelouch and bring him in close to himself. He bent to kiss the corner of Lelouch’s mouth, and then his cheek, and then his ear. As if the hot sun alone was not enough to burn him, surely Suzaku’s touch would sear into his skin and leave a mark. 

“I would dismiss your earnest thoughtlessness if it did not concern my own fate,” Lelouch said. “But you cannot just make promises that way. We will need a plan. A blueprint.”

Suzaku smiled as he released Lelouch. “Ah, so you’re not so guileless as it appeared when we first met.”

“And you not nearly so wise.”

This smooth conflict, eager and sweet, thrilled Lelouch. Being with Suzaku seemed so simple, as if he really could believe all of Suzaku’s earnest promises, unattainable as they seemed. To exist like this in a home, a farm, a town, every day waking to Suzaku… could it not be perfect? 

***

That evening, they had fumbled towards each other so eagerly—Lelouch was breathless upon coming upon that same caravan, the one for supply and food for the two lead cowboys, empty as always but for Arthur, who had found it at some point and had dug around for a piece of meat that was now stuck between his fangs. 

“You shouldn’t let him eat your rations like that,” Lelouch said, as Suzaku lifted him easily onto the raised back of the wagon. Suzaku seemed to want to waste no time, fumbling already to remove his vest and unbutton his blouse. It made Lelouch flush hot until his pale neck beneath his white shirt was red. Suzaku looked upon him eagerly, hungrily. 

“It’s no bother to me. He doesn’t require much.” With this, he shoved Lelouch to the floor of the wagon and kissed him hard. Suzaku kissed like he was starving, as if a day’s long journey without putting his hands on Lelouch had brought him close to death, and now, finally here, he could devour his fill of Lelouch. 

“Ah—Suzaku—” Lelouch could not stop his hips from canting upwards, against the other man’s, causing them both to gasp. “Please—we have something to discuss.”

“Not now, Lelouch,” Suzaku said (his voice so sure and firm and deep, and god, did Suzaku realize how he sounded?), before returning to his work licking and kissing his way down Lelouch’s chest. Lelouch propped himself up on his elbows to follow Suzaku with his eyes, and Suzaku glanced up at him and gave a coy grin as he reached the waistline of Lelouch’s trousers. Lelouch hardly had time to process the motion before Suzaku pulled his trousers down along with his undergarments and took Lelouch’s budding erection into his mouth. 

“Oh—God—,” was all Lelouch could manage, choking on a moan as he fought to keep his eyes glued to Suzaku’s head of curly hair, bobbing up and down on his cock, in and out in slow strokes at first, as he wrapped his hand around the base. Anything Lelouch had planned on discussing flew from his mind—thoughts of any kind at all dissipated, except the feeling of that hot wet mouth wrapped around him. It was like he’d done this before—had he? He must’ve, to be so sure with his strokes up and down with his hand, keeping in time with his mouth on the head, the way he moved his tongue over the tip and licked at the precome forming there—yes, Lelouch was sure, Suzaku was absolutely filthy, and had to have done this before. Another firm stroke and Suzaku was taking all of him deep into his mouth, and Lelouch let out a moan and collapsed back, no longer able to hold himself up on his elbows. Suzaku was turning his entire body to jelly. 

“Mmm,” Suzaku intoned around his cock, and the vibrations sent sparks of pleasure up Lelouch’s spine. 

“Don’t stop, please, Suzaku,” Lelouch groaned, the words coming out between soft pants as he moved his hand up to stifle the noises. Suzaku’s hand went from holding his thighs down to reaching up to grab that hand and pull it away. He removed his mouth for but a moment, the cool air shocking Lelouch as he gasped. 

“Don’t quiet yourself,” Suzaku ordered, not waiting for an answer before he resumed. Lelouch had no trouble complying, as now he was a mess of mewls and gasps and groans as Suzaku worked him. Each stroke of his tongue brought Lelouch closer, his hands finding Suzaku’s hair—and Suzaku let him, and obeyed Lelouch’s commands of _More, please, oh, Suzaku_ —until Lelouch could stand it no longer, coming first directly into Suzaku’s mouth and then, as Suzaku pulled away, over his lips and onto his cheeks and chin. 

Lelouch could only look up for a brief second, peering at Suzaku’s face, before he let his head fall back again. If he looked too long at Suzaku it would simply be too much. 

He heard more than saw Suzaku licking at his lips. God, Suzaku was trying to kill him. That was it. Suzaku laid down next to him, as if he was finished, but Lelouch let his eyes wander to the bulge still protruding from Suzaku’s trousers. Spent as Lelouch was, there was no time as now, and Lelouch was not going to leave Suzaku wanting for the rest of the following day. He sat up and scooted down until he could get a good hold on Suzaku’s pants. 

“Lelouch—that’s not necessary—” Suzaku began, but Lelouch had already looped his fingers in the belt loops of his pants and tugged them down, freeing Suzaku’s hard cock, leaking at the tip already.

“Indeed,” Lelouch smirked, as he lowered himself, tonguing the tip to taste it. “It seems you enjoyed doing that to me quite a lot…” And then he descended upon Suzaku. 

“Yes, you— _oh._ ”

Lelouch, unlike Suzaku, had not done this before, and therefore there was a bit of fumbling, though this seemed not to affect Suzaku’s enjoyment of the act, as his hands found Lelouch’s hair but did not push or tug, as Lelouch took him in eagerly. Indeed, it could not be said that Lelouch was anything but eager. It didn’t take Suzaku long before he was spilling into Lelouch’s mouth, and Lelouch tried to swallow it but ended up coughing and pulling away before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. 

Suzaku lay still a moment before opening his eyes and reaching up to pull Lelouch down to the floor with him. Lelouch did as instructed, and leaned over so he could put his head on Suzaku’s shoulder. Suzaku brought his arm around and pulled Lelouch close into his side.

“You’re incredible,” he breathed. 

“I think I’m the one who should be saying that,” Lelouch said. He found a loose piece of Suzaku’s hair and toyed with it. Suzaku hummed. 

“I suppose we’ll have to talk about it sooner or later,” he said. Lelouch shifted so he could look up at Suzaku very seriously.

“We do,” said Lelouch. “There is a party of go-backers preparing to leave tomorrow.”

“I see,” Suzaku said. This was it, then. A goodbye.

“I plan on sending Sayoko back with them.” It took Suzaku a moment to process it, to understand what this meant fully, but when he did he shot up and took Lelouch’s face into his hands. 

“Are you sure about this?” he asked. Lelouch looked as surprised as he did, before his face folded into a mask of rationality and calm.

“As sure as I’ve been about anything, Suzaku,” Lelouch said. “You can’t think I’d just give this up.” To Suzaku, the words were clear: I wouldn't give _you_ up.

“Your sister—”

“I wouldn’t forget her. We will arrange for the most skilled party of travelers and assign Tohdoh personally as her escort. I trust that he will not allow anything to happen to her. I don’t know how to pay yet—I’ve got my own debts to sort out. Perhaps when we reach Oregon I really will have to find my brother’s contact there. I don’t know.” 

“Tohdoh—he’d do it for free. He’d do it for me, as my partner.”

“I don’t want to rely on favors. Besides, a good pay will make him more willing to care for Nunnally, more than just a favor might.” Lelouch looked serious about this. And why shouldn’t he? It was his sister’s wellbeing—he was assigning a keeper to the single spot of joy in his life. 

“You underestimate him. Tohdoh has a good heart.”

“I believe it. But we can never be too sure.” 

Suzaku shook his head. No use in arguing the specifics now. It was still another week or so until they reached Oregon, and they would talk along the way. “We’ll do it however you want, Lelouch. We’ll figure it out. We will.” He kissed Lelouch then. Suzaku had never figured happiness could come to him like this. Now that he had it, he never wanted to let it go.


End file.
